What's The Best Aquarium Product You've Ever Bought

[LHAquatics]

There was an earlier thread that said what is the worst aquarium product you bought. That helped me a lot on what to not buy, I think this will help.

 

[pagoda]

I have two...one is not strictly an aquarium product, a spaghetti spoon, perfect for collecting escaping moss balls and plants that the fish have shifted and not getting soaked in the process......my actual aquarium product that is so far the best (as in suiting my requirements) Tetra EX600 Plus filter (wish I had bought them alot sooner)

 

[Ouse]

Fluval canister filters, they’re very efficient!

 

[LHAquatics]

I won't buy Marineland filters again because it is really annoying to keep monitoring the biowheel if it is spinning

 

[veggieshark]

The first time I bought a temperature controlled heater, I thought that was great. Then the submergible heaters came around, I thought they were great. Now I enjoy digital thermometers. Autofeeders are great as well, now I don't have to let my neighbors kill my fish.

If you want a specific brand/model, maybe I can say Python is a pretty useful product.

 

[BigManAquatics]

Sponge filters! Also submersible heaters. Dechlorinators probably the biggest game-changing product ever on the market, though.

 

[Gscribble]

My gravel vac. When I first set up I didn’t think I’d need one. My new filter arrives today and I’m hoping to add the fluval c3 to this list, but time will tell!

 

[WRWAquarium]

I'm going to stay somthing really cheap and overlooked but I use it very often.

That is a pair of aquaone easy reach tongs. I think mine are 70cm and allows me to reach the bottom of my deeper tank with ease to grip and move things without getting wet hands or arms. I use everyday or for feeding worms to my axolotol.

 

[Gscribble]

I'm going to stay somthing really cheap and overlooked but I use it very often.

That is a pair of aquaone easy reach tongs. I think mine are 70cm and allows me to reach the bottom of my deeper tank with ease to grip and move things without getting wet hands or arms. I use everyday or for feeding worms to my axolotol.

Where did you find them that long?

 

[SouthAmericanCichlids]

Sponge filters! They are the best!

 

[Ouse]

Dechlorinators probably the biggest game-changing product ever on the market, though.

That reminds me! Seachem Prime is one of the best products I’ve ever used. I wasn’t introduced to it long ago but I quickly got hooked into using it because it dechorinates large volumes of water in such small doses.

 

[Rachaeljuno]

Sponge filters, tongs, and the hygger mini submersible heaters!

 

[WRWAquarium]

Where did you find them that long?

On ebay

 

[BigManAquatics]

Well, my peacock gudgeons were $10 each and have already spawned several times, so that could have been good value....but my bn plecos and danios by far have been worth the price of admission!

 

[Dechi]

My python. It’s been making water changes enjoyable for 15-20 years !

 

[Thunder_o_b]

If you include products that are discontinued it would be the Marineland Magnum 350 canister filter.
I have three that are still running after many years of service.

Products still made would be the Marineland 360 canisters (have three running) the Finnex Planted+ 24/7 LED light and the Current USE plant LED light. My plants really like them

​

 

[BigManAquatics]

My python. It’s been making water changes enjoyable for 15-20 years !

Water changes are always enjoyable!! If they aren't, i wouldn't be in the hobby still...

 

[Thunder_o_b]

I won't buy Marineland filters again because it is really annoying to keep monitoring the biowheel if it is spinning

Lube the pins with potable silicon grease.

 

[jpm995]

I've had Eheim canister filters that lasted over 17 years. They were very expensive [roughly twice what Fluval and Magnum cost]. It was also the quietest filter i've ever owned. I don't think this is very valuable info today as i don't know if they even make these in Germany anymore. Aqua Clear hang on filters have been very reliable for me also.

 

[SawyerDawn]

Simple and cheap but I really like WonderShells. Most calcium substitutes/additives are full of chemicals and looked awful to put in my water, but my nerite was starting to suffer because he needed more calcium to keep his shell strong these are something nobody ever seems to have heard of and they never make my water cloudy, have never irritated the fish, and always keep my snails healthy

 

[Marlene327]

Simple and cheap but I really like WonderShells. Most calcium substitutes/additives are full of chemicals and looked awful to put in my water, but my nerite was starting to suffer because he needed more calcium to keep his shell strong these are something nobody ever seems to have heard of and they never make my water cloudy, have never irritated the fish, and always keep my snails healthy

I agree! I shop ebay and Amazon for them and buy 20 at a time when I find a good price.

 

[SawyerDawn]

I agree! I shop ebay and Amazon for them and buy 20 at a time when I find a good price.

Good idea!! I should watch out for good deals lol.

 

[ruud]

I've had Eheim canister filters that lasted over 17 years. They were very expensive [roughly twice what Fluval and Magnum cost]. It was also the quietest filter i've ever owned. I don't think this is very valuable info today as i don't know if they even make these in Germany anymore. Aqua Clear hang on filters have been very reliable for me also.

For my main tanks I use and continue to use Eheim canisters.

For all my small tanks I fell in love with the small Eden canisters. They are the low budget/same quality version as Oase Filtosmart. I run 3x 501 Eden canisters, tiny and super-quiet, and 1x 511 that has an integrated heater for my "blackwater" tank. Simply lovely.

Along with LED controllers, these integrated heaters are on top of my list.

 

[Leeman75]

Probably the most helpful tool that I use is a colander to disperse water being poured from buckets into the tank at the end of the WC.

The distance and different levels of my house from where my tanks sit and my water source is means that I can't use a python. In a planted tank with sand, pouring the water in can uproot plants, create sand valleys, and get sand on decor. The only way to not have that happen is to pour it super slowly, which my arms and back are not built for.

Enter the simple kitchen colander. It doesn't matter how fast I pour...as long as I keep the water from sloshing over the sides of it, the water gets dispersed so well that the flow below the surface is minimal.

 

[BigManAquatics]

Probably the most helpful tool that I use is a colander to disperse water being poured from buckets into the tank at the end of the WC.

The distance and different levels of my house from where my tanks sit and my water source is means that I can't use a python. In a planted tank with sand, pouring the water in can uproot plants, create sand valleys, and get sand on decor. The only way to not have that happen is to pour it super slowly, which my arms and back are not built for.

Enter the simple kitchen colander. It doesn't matter how fast I pour...as long as I keep the water from sloshing over the sides of it, the water gets dispersed so well that the flow below the surface is minimal.

I actually plan a decent sized cave or piece of driftwood in a central location in my tanks to counter the sand valleys and whatnot. What i use one of my collander for, because it is one of those that is basically a handle with stiff window screen attached, is rinsing new gravel. Pour a couple pounds of gravel in it, rinse well with hot water, shake, repeat, and get all that dust n stuff off then pour gravel into a bucket ir the tank and pour new in. Works great at keeping the gravel out of drains, and you keep your hands and shirt relatively dry in the process.

 

[TClare]

Here fluval canister filters are horrendously expensive and I have not seen Eheim for sale. instead I have bought Jad EFU 45 (or Boyu,same thing), Chinese make, normally $118 but I recently got one on offer for $83. Time will tell how long they last but one of them has been running for about 18 months with no issues, they are very quiet. Another really good value filter for smaller tanks (50-80cm long) is the JAD top filter UF 230, it costs less than $15 including the pump and works very well.

A very useful kit I have is a set of aquascaping tools. I am not really into aquascaping in a big way, but they are very useful for trimming plants, picking up things from quite deep tanks, rearranging holes made by breeding cichlids etc.

Incredibly useful but not made for aquariums are plastic yoghurt pots. I am always using these for gentle water changes in a small fry tank and for thawing or rehydrating frozen and freeze dried food among other things.